Without You
by xhellogoodbyegirl116x
Summary: Mimi had learned that love was powerful. But was it too powerful at times, as in the loss of it could kill? She can't lose Roger, but she can't face her own fears of what's ahead. And when she needs to, there's only one person left to turn to. MMxRD MMxMC
1. Will I

**Alternate ending to story. Got it?**

* * *

All she had to do was ignore it. Not listen. Forget it. It was supposed to be that easy.

She knew they were worried about her. She had been avoiding them. Trying not to be seen. She even quit her job at Cat Scratch Club, knowing that would be the first place they'd look for her.

After Angel's death…she couldn't handle herself anymore. She felt like she was crashing inside. She needed more and more smack. But Roger was trying to stop her. Their relationship fell apart due to that.

And once Roger left for New Mexico, if she didn't get away from it all, she might've ended up doing something she regretted.

She felt so helpless, so ashamed. She didn't feel good enough to be around them. She wanted to be alone, to get her life together. So she got some money from her mother and found another place to live for a while.

She found a new place to pick up her AZT, so she didn't worry about letting the old place know she wasn't coming back. She then lost touch with Benny, Mark, Maureen, Joanne, and Collins.

She stopped going to Life Support. She knew Angel would be scolding her for it, but if she knew why Mimi was doing this, maybe she'd understand.

She missed Roger so much. She thought about him everyday as she worked her new job as a cashier under the name 'Lana'. If she hadn't changed her name, word would've gotten around. She knew she was betraying everything she thought and fought for, about living for the moment and no day but today, but she really didn't care.

She saw the signs with her picture. She heard the talk about her. She even saw Mark one day. She was walking down the street, staring at the ground when she heard his voice.

"…Have you seen her? Well, if you remember anything, call me and my roommate," Mark stated as he handed a neon pink paper to a grocer. Then, almost as if he sensed her, he turned his head in her direction.

Mimi froze. She tried to hide her face with her hat and her long hair, but he had turned around and walked the other way. She then turned around quickly and pushed through the crowd.

It had been almost 4 months before she returned to her old apartment, feeling a little more in control of her life.

It was dark when she walked in, for the power had been shut off. But a small blinking red light confused her. What was that, and shouldn't it be off?

It was her battery-powered phone with an answering machine. She bought it last year when Benny turned off the power on Christmas Eve. She tried not thinking of that day, for she felt guilt coming up and pushing its way into her mind. She shut her eyes tightly, as if it was a way to get rid of it.

She dropped her coat and small bag on the couch while she walked to the answering machine. She was amazed the batteries had lasted for four months. She stepped back slightly when she saw it. Awed, she pushed the button.

"You have 77 new messages," the computerized voice said.

"Mimi, it's Benny. I'm wondering where you might've gone. Give me a call when you get the chance."

Mimi skipped the next couple, knowing that they'd all be from him.

"Mimi, it's Joanne. Listen, we're all getting a little worried. No one's seen you in two weeks. If you need to talk to someone, I'm right here."

Mimi became saddened at the thought.

She skipped a lot more.

"Mimi, it's me, Roger. I'm back from New Mexico. The gang tells me you've been missing ever since I left, which was a month ago. I just want to tell you…I'm so sorry. I need to talk to you to tell you how sorry I am. I love you so much. If you get this message, come back. I need you."

She became extremely choked up. She grabbed a chair before she fell into it. She felt like a monster. She did this because she felt like she'd be lifting a burden off of them. But little did she know that she was going to be adding a bigger one.

Pressing the skip button once more, she heard a voice that usually brought comfort, but not now. It was harsh and accusatory.

"Mimi, this is Mark. Um, I'm not really sure how to say this. You probably won't even get this message. But, I think I saw you today."

Mimi's head snapped up. He couldn't have. It couldn't have been her.

"You see, while the rest of us are thinking that there is something really wrong with you while you're perfectly fine, we've been handing out these flyers. So today, I gave this one to a grocer today. And I'm almost positive you were there. You need to come out of your fake hiding and admit what you've done. I'm not going to tell them what you've done because I know that they won't believe me. Because, Mark is an idiot in their minds. So you need to do that yourself. I hope you will do that. You're destroying lives by doing this…" he said angrily before trailing off.

Mimi tried to press the stop button, but she ended up pressing the fast forward. She ended up going to the most recent message, which had been from a little earlier today.

"Mimi, it's Mark. I have no idea when you're going to get this message, but I'm hoping it's soon. You need to call me. It's very urgent. Please. Just, call."

The tone in his voice had changed from abrasive to pleading. Mimi shook her head and placed her head in her hands. By trying to correct her life, she had screwed it up ever more.

She took some deep breathes, hoping that if she did, she may be able to see that she did something positive by doing this.

But the phone rang, and it pulled her out of the meditative state. She let the answering machine pick up. "Mimi. Oh, god. You're still not there. Please, if you're there, pick up. I need you to pick up. It's extremely important." Mark declared, sounding like he was going to cry.

Mimi stared at the phone for a moment. She stood up. "Hello," she answered meekly.


	2. Life Support

She stepped out of the cab feeling like she was going to throw up. She hated hospitals. The stark white colors, the smells, the sense of death that was always lurking over you. It was like a vortex that was going to suck you in and never let you go.

She was terrified as she found herself roaming the halls, especially since the last time she was in this hospital was when Angel had been hospitalized before she... She began to feel dizzy under the lights. The air felt thick and heavy. All the doctors watched her intently as she wandered to figure out where she was going.

Once she found the room, she tried to prepare herself for what she was going to see, although she pretty much already knew what had happened, and also for what Mark was going to do or say to her.

She attempted to calm her shaky nerves, and slowly stepped inside. The room was dimly lit. Mark was sitting next to the bed where Roger was laying. Roger was so pale and thin. He didn't look like the Roger she remembered.

Tubes were connected to his body. They were beeping and humming. Incessantly. There were a multitude of machines around him. Mimi realized that they were keeping him alive.

Mimi felt her tears well at the sight of him like that. How did this happen? Roger was so healthy the last time she saw him, wasn't he? Mark turned his head to her before turning away.

She walked up to the bed and kissed Roger on the head. He shifted slightly before stopping. She turned and pulled the other chair to the other side of the bed. She didn't want to face Mark like this, but she knew if she didn't do it now, she would never be able to again.

Mark felt like she shouldn't be there. He was beginning to regret calling her. She shouldn't be in their presence. He was so angry. But in another way, he was relieved. She was there; that was all that mattered right now. If anything were to happen, she was there. Mark tried not to think about that.

"Mark," she said quietly, avoiding eye contact with him.

"Mimi," he replied simply, not bothering to turn his head. She dropped hers.

"Please," she pleaded. She knew she deserved some of this. But when someone wouldn't even look at her, she began to doubt everything.

He turned his head slowly. As he looked at her in the almost dismal state, he felt himself become less angry. Her makeup was running down her face in thin rivers. "I don't know how I can explain myself," she cried.

"Why don't you start at the beginning, then?" Mark answered, crossing his arms. "You tell me what happened, and I'll let you know what's going on," he said, motioning to Roger.

She nodded, grabbing a tissue. She was a little put off that he was blackmailing her, but if she had to do it to find out what was wrong with Roger, then she would do it. "Well, when Angel became sick, I basically couldn't believe it. Here was this person with the same disease as me, actually taking care of herself, while I was the one on drugs, putting myself in danger. She deserved to live more than I ever did. And when I thought about how that could be me any day now, I thought I about how much I want to get my life on track before it actually happened. I didn't want to die. I didn't want that to be me. But what actually happened was the more I tried to get off the stuff, the more I wanted it, the more I desired it. I had to have it."

"And as Roger saw that, he became more distant. He thought I wasn't even trying, when I was trying the hardest I ever had. We became farther apart. He didn't care that I was addicted. I know he quit the stuff cold turkey, but he had you to lean on for support. You were there for him during all the symptoms he experienced during withdrawal. I had Roger before he moved, and then Benny, but I then left Benny after Angel died. I couldn't take myself. I didn't like myself and what I was going to become. And I didn't really want to be a burden."

"I got some money from my mom and moved to place a couple blocks away under the name Lana. I quit working at the Cat Scratch and began working at a drug store. At the same time, I was in rehab. I didn't think it was going to take this long. I also didn't think you guys were going to think that there was something wrong. I just- just needed a break from all this. When I saw you that day, I got a hit from reality, reminding me that there were people out there who needed me back home. I just did what I needed to get back as soon as I could. When I got those messages, I realized by leaving, I made my life, along with yours, worse than I had expected. I thought by leaving and getting my head together, I was going to help. I was wrong, Mark. I'm sorry."

Mark sat there for a moment, as she wiped away more tears. That was her story? She needed to gather her thoughts and get clean? She could have done it by staying here! Mark had never been angrier in his life. "Well, I'm happy that you're sorry, and I'm happy you're back," he said shortly.

Her face twisted in disbelief. "Oh, yeah right. Be honest, Mark. Lying and sarcasm were left behind in middle school," she uttered angrily

"You want me to be honest?! Right now I hate you! I wish you never came into Roger's life! Why? It's because of you that my best friend is dying!" Mark exclaimed.


	3. I Should Tell You

"Well, I'm happy that you're sorry, and I'm happy you're back," he said shortly.

Her face twisted in disbelief. "Oh, yeah right. Be honest, Mark. Lying and sarcasm were left behind in middle school," she uttered angrily

"You want me to be honest?! Right now I hate you! I wish you never came into Roger's life! Why? It's because of you that my best friend is dying!" Mark shouted. He pulled off his glasses and began to rub his sleepless eyes.

Mimi stopped short. "D-dying? What? How?"

"Yes, he's dying. His body can't take it anymore or something, I really don't know. He wouldn't sleep, he wouldn't eat, I had to shove the AZT at him to remind him. All because you needed to get your head together. It was fine if you needed a break from us. But you could have called," Mark answered sharply.

"I know I could have. I know I should have. If I did, I would have had to listen to you guys telling me 'You're fine, come home' or 'There's nothing wrong with you'. Am I right?" Mimi questioned.

Mark didn't say anything, knowing she was right. He turned in the chair slightly.

"How is everyone else?" Mimi asked softly.

"Oh, you'll enjoy this. Collins, he's dying. When he found out that his time was almost up, he emptied an ATM and decided to travel the country. And Maureen and Joanne gave up on trying to help, saying that they couldn't take the depression anymore. They moved to the country 2 months ago, hoping to have a child. So, while Roger went to ends of the earth for you, who didn't need him to, I was alone," Mark mumbled before dropping his head.

Mimi turned her head, trying not to look at Mark. He looked like a small child sitting in that chair. Vulnerable, alone, needing someone to hold him. It was then Mimi realized that Mark often looked like this. If he didn't look like this, his personality or tone said it. He always felt like he was alone in the world.

"I should have made myself prepared for this ever since he found out…" Mark trailed off, not bothering to lift his head.

"What do you mean?" Mimi asked quietly.

"I was going to end up alone. I should have known this. But yet, I held on to this piece of hope, thinking that maybe, just maybe he would last longer than this. Longer than most people did. I was stupid for thinking that," Mark spat scornfully.

"Mark, you weren't stupid, you were wishful. It's not wrong to hope that your best friend will live a long life. If it was you that was sick, would you want Roger to give up all hope on you living? No. It'd make you feel terrible, along with making him feel that way," Mimi explained.

Mark lifted his head, and gazed at her, for the first time…

Without hatred.

Without resentment.

Without anger.

She gave him a slight smile. He returned it.

"You sounded just like her right there. It's almost scary…" Mark stated.

"Who?" Mimi asked, but she could already figure out the answer.

"April."

"Oh. Did you know her well? I mean, were Roger and you this close then?" Mimi questioned.

Mark began to look a little awkward. He began to look at his hands, almost as if they were the most interesting things in the world.

"Well, you see, Roger and I had known each other since college. We were roommates there, and, well, we decided it would just be easier if we just decided to tough it through real life together. We could stand each other, why not stay together than live with people we hated or not end up living anywhere at all? So we found that apartment. And we remained in our separate corners. We saw each other almost every day. We would say 'Hi' and wave, but that was it. We both kept to ourselves.

"I remember the night they came in the door. They were all over each other. They went straight to his bedroom. From what I could see, she was beautiful. Anyway, they seemed like they were exactly the same; they liked the same music, food, from what I heard they would complete each others sentences and they were both addicted to heroin. But she had it worse. I wasn't that involved then, but he could go a little under a day without it before he starting getting shaky. She could only go about 6 hours," Mark paused, and seemed as if he was reminiscing.

"There was this one night that she and I were there, and Roger was running late or something, I can't remember. I was sitting on the window ledge and she on the couch. She then walked over and sat down next to me. I had never spoken to her before, so I was kind of shocked. She started babbling, almost incoherently. I just sat there, dumbfounded. It then just kind of hit me, and I know this may sound crazy, but she was coming onto me. One thing led to another, and the next thing I can remember is being on the couch with her on top of me."

"You slept with April?" Mimi gasped, her eyes round.

Mark shook his head. "We never got that far. We heard Roger coming up the stairs. Once we heard it, she jumped off and went to complete different side of the room. Roger never found out," Mark answered.

"I can't believe you did that," Mimi stated simply.

"Why?" Mark asked.

"It just doesn't seem like a 'Mark' thing to do," she answered, shaking her head. As she said this, she felt a growing fondness for him.

"Well, what would a 'Mark' thing be?" he question, almost grinning.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Something that has to do with your witty charm…" she replied with a raise of her eyebrows.

He finally smiled fully.

"So, how did you and Roger ever become close?" Mimi said crossing her legs.

His smile quickly dropped off his face. "Actually, the next morning, I was woken up by him screaming. April had stayed the night. When Roger saw she wasn't in bed, he checked the bathroom. She was in there, wrists slit, with a note saying 'We Have AIDS'. When I ran in, he was on his hands and knees sobbing. All I could was comfort him. To him at that point, it meant the world.

"I took care of the police stuff and everything, because I figured he'd want to be alone. But he said he couldn't be alone. So we sat with each other in silence. I tried to distract him from the note she left. It didn't work. The next day, he walked out of his bedroom and collapsed. Something happened with his immune system, and they diagnosed him in the early stage of AIDS. I was so scared that I got myself tested," Mark admitted.

"That's the story behind you and Roger? You became close after April's death and Roger's diagnosis?" Mimi asked.

"Well, yeah. What did you want us to do? Skip around in the land of Oz?" Mark asked.

Mimi smiled and shook her head. "No, it just seems strange that just so powerful a friendship was built over such sad things," she answered.

"He needed me. I was the only one he had left. And I wasn't going to leave him alone, just like I'm not going to now," Mark defended.


	4. Love Heals

Mark and Mimi continued to talk and grow closer. They learned stuff about each other that they had never knew. Like Mark never knew that Mimi's first ambition was to be a Broadway singer. And Mimi never knew that Mark wanted to be a photographer before he began to film.

But as the hours grew later, they grew tired and began to fall asleep. Mimi slowly nodded off in the chair. As she did, Mark watched, trying to not laugh or anything. She was trying to hard to stay awake, but was failing miserably as her head began to rock back and forth.

She eventually fell asleep. Once she did, Mark stood up smiling and grabbed a blanket from the small closet located by the door. He gently laid it on her. She snuggled herself underneath it, mumbling to herself.

She looked like a child. He then turned his head, which was on Roger. He felt a voice scold him as his guilt began to eat away at him. Here's the one person who means the most to him, lying near death, and he's worried about impressing Mimi.

'Mark, what are you doing? This is Roger's girlfriend! ROGER IS STILL ALIVE! HE'S IN THE ROOM IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED!!' Mark thought.

He sat back in his chair, feeling like crap. Placing his head back uncomfortably, he tried to get some much needed sleep that he knew would never come.

He wasn't sure if he had actually fallen asleep when he suddenly startled himself. He just found himself at one point with his eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling.

"When did she get back?" someone said, pulling him from wondering how in the world he ended up looking at the ceiling.

"Roger, you're awake," Mark gasped, almost falling out of the slippery plastic seat.

Roger turned his head, smiling at Mark. "Yeah, I woke up a little while ago. I can't believe she's back, though." His smile turned into a frown, as he shook his head. "How?"

Mark was silent for a while. He wasn't really sure if he wanted to be the one to tell Roger. "She won't tell me why she left or why she came back. All she said was that it was one of the hardest things that she has ever done. I know she missed you, Rog."

Roger closed his eyes and smiled once more. Mark looked at he friend with sadness. He hated lying to him, but he didn't want to get Roger upset.

"Do you want me to wake her?" Mark asked, motioning to the sleeping Mimi.

Roger shook his head. "No, I want to talk to you. It's about something important," Roger muttered. He pushed himself against the pillows.

Mark's stomach clenched. Had he heard them talking? Did he know Mark was lying to him? Or worse, had he heard the two of them flirting with each other? Had Mark done something else? Oh God, Mark hated having guilty conscience.

"Sure, anything," Mark said through clenched teeth. The blame began to eat away at his stomach more the more he thought about it.

"Mark, my song is ending," Roger said with his eyes closed. Mark froze, before turning to him.

"Roger, what are you talking about? You honestly don't mean…No, it's not true," Mark mumbled, shaking his head.

Roger smiled slightly. "So optimistic. Mark, you and I both know that neither of us can live like this. I don't want to live like this. And I don't want you to spend your life like this. This isn't me. This isn't what I stand for," Roger stated.

Mark sat in silence, absorbing it all. "What are you asking me to do?" But before Roger could answer, Mark felt that he knew what was coming.

"Mark, you know the answer. You have to let me go. Please. You're the one that can make the decisions here. Tell them to pull the plug," Roger pleaded.

"Are you crazy?! I wouldn't, I couldn't!" Mark whispered loudly, hot tears beginning to fill his eyes as he realized that his friend was right.

"Mark, please, I want this. I need this. Do it for me…" Roger replied, staring into his eyes.

Mark began to cry as he stormed out of the room. As he slammed the door open, he startled Mimi out of her sleep. She opened her eyes to Roger's crestfallen look. She jumped out from underneath the blanket, wondering what had caused Mark to run out. But when she saw Roger awake, she no longer cared.

"Roger, babe, you're awake. I thought I'd never hear your voice again…" she said, her voice beginning to waver. She stood up from her chair, and walked over to his bed.

He motioned for her to sit down. As she did, she clutched his hand. "I missed you so much," Mimi said.

"Then why did you leave?" Roger asked hoarsely.

Mimi raised an eyebrow. "What?" How did he know?

"Mimi, I'm not an idiot. People don't just disappear," he mused, smiling.

"Mark told you, didn't he? I'm going to strangle him," Mimi muttered through her clenched teeth. She dug her aqua nails into the hand that wasn't entwined with Roger's.

"Mark knew?" he asked. He struggled to sit up, a look of perplexity and concern on his face.

She pulled her hand out of his and laid both of them on his shoulders, trying to ease him back into the pillows. "It doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that we're together now. I'm so happy that I found you," she said as tears began to finally track down her face.

"You have no idea how much I missed you when you were gone. I wanted to take back all the words and all that hatred that happened after Angel died. If that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have left, and you wouldn't have left, and none of this would've happened."

"Roger, don't say that. None of this is anyone's fault. Let's just be together while we can," she stated as her tears began to fall onto his hospital gown.

He smiled as he grabbed her arm and pulled her onto the bed with him. She laid there, just comforted by his embrace.


	5. I'll Cover You

Mark sat on the floor outside the room where Mimi and Roger had been in for a while. How could Roger expect him to do that? Roger wanted him to be responsible for his death. It was almost like Roger wanted Mark to be the one who killed him. Mark couldn't do it.

'Would you want Roger to do it if it was you?' a voice asked him in his head. Mark groaned as he slumped his head into his knees. He would. If he asked Roger something like that, he would want Roger to do that. He would EXPECT Roger to do it. So Roger had obviously put the same amount, if not more trust in Mark.

Who was he kidding? Roger and he were like brothers? There was no way that he could let Roger suffer like that. He wouldn't be able to watch him. Watch him go down in pain. He needed to do this. For Roger.

Just as he was about to go walk in and tell Roger what he was going to do, the door slammed open and Mimi ran out, crying hysterically. Mark got off the ground and went over to her.

"What's wrong? What is it?" he comforted.

"Roger…he…he wants to die," she cried as she latched her arms around his neck and laid her head on his neck, muffling her sobs.

Mark wrapped his arms around her awkwardly. He comforted her, hoped to calm her down. She just cried and cried for a while. And as she did, Mark cried silently with her.

When their tears finally began to dry, she pulled away. "Why? Why would he want to do something like this?" she whispered.

Mark gave her small smile. "He doesn't want his life, along with those around him, to be full of pain and heartbreak. He wants to make his grand finale now," he muttered, rolling his eyes at his cliché.

"But can't you convince him not to do it? I-I don't think there's any way I could live without him,? " Mimi gasped out as she slid down the wall onto the floor.

Mark sat next to her. "I could try to talk to him. I already have. I don't want this to happen as much as you. But Mimi, this isn't about us. We can't stop him from doing what he wants to do. What we have to do is support him in whatever he decides, no matter how unfortunate it is, or much we dislike it," he explained to her.

"When he's gone, though, it'll just be me…" Mimi trailed off, before she realized something. She looked at Mark. "And you."

Mark shrugged. "That's how it will be. But we'll get through this. Together. No matter how many times we have to get drunk." He grabbed Mimi's hand in his.

Mimi smiled slightly. "Well, if you insist." As Mark got up, muttering something about going to talk to the doctors, Mimi couldn't help but wonder something. What was it that she smiled at? His stupid joke? Or his hand in hers?

* * *

Mimi never realized how hard it is to smile when you actually want to sob until you feel like you're going to throw up. As Mark and she stood in Roger's room, along with the doctor, who was slowly adjusting machines that began to beep less, she was smiling as much as she could. Her cheeks were in pain from smiling, but her eyes were burning with tears. As she looked over at Mark, he had a smile on, but the expression in his eyes was completely blank and void of emotion; almost as if he wasn't in there.

The only reason why they were trying to keep up these appearances so much was because Roger was… kind of conscious. He wasn't with it. He wasn't talking either. But he could see them. He smiled at them. Mimi and Mark both swore to each other that they weren't going to talk during this. They were going to try and keep it somewhat solemn.

The heart monitoring machine began to beep slower. Mimi's smile faded as Roger's eyes closed. As Mark realized that is was almost over, he turned away before it flat lined. He couldn't watch it. A couple seconds later, he walked out of the room.

Mimi, completely numb, decided she wasn't going to follow him right away. He obviously needed his time by himself. But as the atmosphere of being alone in this room, she quickly walked out.

After asking a few questions about where the 'geeky looking guy' went, she found him outside the hospital. He was leaning against the wall staring at the sky.

Mimi went into her coat pocket and pulled out a cigarette. After she lit it up, she stood next to him.

"How did all this happen? How did we not see any of this coming?" Mark asked quietly, not taking his eyes off the darkness.

"That Christmas Eve is what did it. And it just led to this chain of events. But that chain unraveled eventually," Mimi replied sadly.

"What I mean is…why are you and I the only ones left here? How did that happen? How are we the only ones who could survive here, well, pretty much?" Mark asked.

Mimi was silent as she turned towards him. She had no answer for that. She wanted to have one too. Why her? Why her and Mark? What was so special about the two of them that they were the only ones who could manage to survive in this place? "Maybe there's some reason and we just haven't found it yet."

"Yeah," Mark stated, nodding. As he began to shiver, he started to walk in. He looked over his shoulder at her. "You coming?"

She nodded silently. She dropped her cigarette and stepped on it before she followed him in, wishing Mark had never brought that question up. For now, she yearned for that answer. It just didn't make sense. Why?


	6. One Song Glory

The apartment was empty when Mark finally returned home, as it had been, for the past few months. He hadn't been home in while, for he had been staying at the hospital 24/7 except when Roger told him to go home.

He was alone, once more. But now, there was no comfort in the apartment. There was no reassurance. He knew Roger was never coming home.

What was the point of going on in life? Sure, there was Mimi, but she was going to find someone new to fall in love with. Mark felt his insides clench at the thought of Mimi moving on, especially in her love life. She'd fall in love, probably in a month or two after the initial mourning was over. Probably with someone rich, handsome, stuffy. Like someone she had fallen in love with before. Like someone he once knew. Like someone who had betrayed them all.

Once Mimi was gone, he would be utterly by himself. He would make his crappy movies in his crappy apartment living from crappy paycheck to paycheck. He'd live alone until he died. What a wonderful life to live. When his funeral came, people would ask, "Who the hell was that guy?" And they'd be right. Because who was Mark?

As he opened the door to the apartment, it seemed different that it usually did. It seemed less welcoming. It seemed as if it was a foreign place. He heard Mimi's boots clomp up the stairs above him. They had said goodbye, and gone on their separate ways, claiming that they needed some sleep. But they both knew neither of them was going to sleep. They'd lead sleepless lives for a while.

Mark threw his ancient back pack on the couch and walked to his room to get changed. As he did, he passed Roger's. He froze as he walked past. He quickly grabbed the door, trying so hard not to look in side. Slamming it hard, he felt his heart quicken. He promised himself that he would open that door again unless he truly felt that he needed to.

He walked into his bedroom and put on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He then walked into the bathroom where he washed his face, attempting to wake himself up. As he looked at himself in the small mirror, he felt like smashing it. He shouldn't have said yes. He should have stuck to what he wanted to do. He wouldn't be alone, Mimi wouldn't be alone, and Roger wouldn't be dead.

He went into the larger room of the apartment. He didn't feel like eating, so he grabbed his backpack and decided to unpack it. As he unzipped the first pouch, a folded up piece of notebook paper was found on the top. He didn't remember anything like that being there when he last packed it, so he unfolded it. As he did, he felt his stomach drop into his feet. Recognizing the handwriting, he began to read:

_Dear Mark,_

_I bet you didn't expect something as sentimental as this from someone like me? Well, I can manage to be gushy at times when needed. I think this qualifies. If I was asked to put all my feeling down about you on a piece of paper, I would honestly have nowhere start, and wouldn't know where end either. We may have had a rocky beginning, but the times that have been smooth have completely outweighed those. You are my best friend, if that can even cover it. I don't think there's a term for what we are. You are like a brother to me Mark, and I feel like I have done the right thing trusting you with my life. What you have done for me in my life is…really amazing. You will have a wonderful life, for you truly deserve it. You will find someone who will make you happy as you make her, which I couldn't even go into words about. Don't let this ruin your life Mark. If I knew that it was going to, I would've thought twice about asking you. Please, don't let this be the end for you. You wouldn't want me to do that if we were in opposite positions, so I would never want you to do it. Live your life the way you should, Mark. For the both of us._

_Roger_

Mark had to read the letter four times to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. Once he realized that he was actually reading this, the letter dropped on to the floor. And for probably the hardest time in his life, Mark began to sob.

* * *

well, first author's note thing. firstly, i want to thank everyone who has read/reviewed my story. if you haven't reviewed, i'd appreciate your feedback. i hope your enjoying the story. i am a big mark/mimi fan. Actually, i'm basically a big mark fan, but i like the pairing of him and mimi. the next couple chapters may get a little au, so be prepared. 


	7. Goodbye Love

Mimi sat in her apartment, feeling lonely. After paying her electric and gas bill, her lights and heat were turn back on. Her apartment felt...so big. It never did. Ususally she complained about how little space she had in here.

She sat on her faux leopard skin couch, holding the letter in her hands. As she read it, despite the fact her hands were shaking uncontrollably, she felt her heart pounding in her chest. Her breathing was extremely uneven and nervous.

_Dear Mimi,_

_For the past year or so, I couldn't believe how lucky I was. I had probably the best girl in the world. Sexy, sweet, smart, and feisty too. Everything you could ever want. It made me feel like I was with…well, you know, but in an even better way. And then you left. I thought my life was ending. I thought to myself every night, "How could you? You obviously must not love her as you say you do if you let her slip away just like that." But you came back, and it made that last day worth it. Mimi, I love you. I have always loved you. Nothing could've changed that. I should've done things differently. I should've been more understanding. Maybe none of this would've happened then. Just realize that I love you so much. I want you to be happy with whoever makes you feel that way. You're one amazing person, and deserve to be treated that way. Never, ever forget, though, that I have always loved you…_

_Love,_

_Roger_

Mimi began to wish she was wearing waterproof eyeliner as she felt in make tracks down both of her cheeks. How could he do this to her? Make her miss him so, so, _so_ much? After reading this letter, she just felt like she needed to see him. To talk to him, to hug him, to laugh with him, anything. She just needed her Roger back.

What was she going to do with the rest of her life if this was the first night? She was a wreck already! She'd never fall in love. Every time she'd meet a new guy, she's compare them to him and how they were nothing like him.

Mimi groaned, laying back onto her couch with her arms spread out. This was just too much to handle. She couldn't deal anymore. She needed to get her mind off of him.

She could go talk to Mark and see how he was dealing with everything. Knowing Mark, he was either a complete mess, or he was going to shut everything inside himself and let no one help him.

Mimi pulled herself off the couch and into her unpacked suitcase that was in her bedroom to get changed out of the clothes she had been in for the past few days. Pulling off her turquoise boot and just throwing them around, she looked for a new outfit. She could get dressed _dressed_, but what was the point. What was the point of anything anymore?

She went rummaging through the suitcase until she found the clothes she normally wore to the gym. She pulled them on along with a pair of flip-flops, even though it was the middle of January.

Mimi bounded down the stairs quickly, out of breath, her sandals slapping the staircase as she went. She had to talk to Mark. She needed to talk Mark. She MUST talk to Mark. Without thinking she opened the always unlocked door like she usually did without anyone saying anything. "Mark, I need to-" she gasped, stopping at the sight.

There was no one there. It was empty. The apartment was never empty. NEVER. "Mark? You here?" she called out. It was too quiet in there. It was never quiet. NEVER.

The couch was ruffled as if someone had recently sat there, but there was no one there now. She began her way down the dark hallway. There was one door on the left, one on the right, and then one at the end. The one on the left was Roger's. The door was shut, and she hoped and prayed Mark wasn't in there. First, she wouldn't want to know why he was in there if he was. Secondly, she really didn't want to go in there, unless she needed to.

On the right was the bathroom. She walked in. He wasn't in there. But as she glanced around the room, she noticed some drawer had been left open carelessly. It made her feel funny, like something was wrong. Mark always came off as the neat and orderly type who always leaves things in the exact spot that left things.

The only other place that he would be in was his room. "Mark? Where are you?" she exclaimed again, her voice beginning to shake. She felt awkward going into his room, but something felt really wrong. The room was dimly lit, giving an eerie glow off. As she stepped in, the first thing she saw was his nightstand. On it was his glasses.

"Okay, he's taking a nap," Mimi tried to reassure herself when she saw that Mark was lying facedown on his bed. But the thing that caused her to shriek was the prescription pill bottle clutched in his left hand.

* * *

hey. what'd you think of that? talk about a big cliff hanger… anyway, i'd like to know what you thought of this chapter, as i like to know what people think of every chapter. so, let me know… 


	8. Without You

"**Okay, he's taking a nap," Mimi tried to reassure herself when she saw that Mark was lying facedown on his bed. But the thing that caused her to shriek was the prescription pill bottle clutched in his left hand.

* * *

**

She ran into his room from the hallway and ripped the bottle from his hand. As soon as she saw it was empty, she feared the worst. She flipped Mark onto his back.

Smacking his face slightly, she tried to wake him up. "Mark! What are these? Where did you get them? How many did you take?" she asked incessantly but he still remained asleep. She didn't know what they were. On the bottle, it was some long name, but it didn't say Mark's name on it either. She couldn't tell if they were prescribed to him or not.

'Oh no. Mark must have bought these on the street. Meaning that it's something other than he wanted. Meaning he's going to die,' Mimi thought to herself.

As she felt her stomach begin to twist, she climbed onto the bed and straddled him. She clutched his shoulders and began to shake him. His neck began to whip around, which must have woken him slightly. He opened his eyes for a moment. Mimi felt her heart flutter. But he then closed them.

"Mark, no no no no. Wake up! You've got to wake up again! Please!" Mimi shouted, her shaking becoming less and less.

When she still got not response from him, she began to fear the worst. "You are a selfish bastard. How could you leave me here all alone? How could leave me like this?" She pounded on his chest as her tears fell onto her tears fell onto his t-shirt. Placing her hands on his shoulders, her head fell on his chest and more tears began to fall, soaking his shirt.

But the sadness slowly began to turn to anger. Feeling rage in her stomach, she slapped him across the face. Again. And again. And once more.

With the fourth hit, his moved. "Ow," he mumbled.

Mimi stopped crying as her head snapped up and she gazed at him. "Mark. You're alive. You're alive...wait, what'd you take?!" Mimi exclaimed.

"Sleeping pills," he grumbled as he began to open his eyes.

"Why would you do that? What were you thinking? What were you trying to do?" Mimi began to question.

"Easy, Dr. Phil," Mark said as he began to look more awake.

"How many did you take?" Mimi asked, extremely confused, but still in a very awkward positioning.

"Three. That's it. It's not lethal. I'm not suicidal, so don't worry," Mark snapped, fully alert.

"Well, where did you get them?" Mimi inquired. She still didn't believe his story.

"From my doctor. I do have the right to sleep at night without your permission, don't I? And if you don't mind, could you please get off me?" he barked, looking at her strangely.

She got off him silently. He got into a sitting position. She began to pace around his bedroom. "Why did you need them, if you don't mind me asking?" she posed, in a much quieter, considerate tone.

He sighed. "I couldn't sleep while he was out looking. I stopped helping him after I saw you in theat street that day. So I would stay home whaen he would go out at night. But just because I was home alone by myself didn't mean that I was at peace. I suffered from severe insomnia. I realized I needed to do something about it when I was on a subway one day coming home from work, but woke up and found myself at Coney Island with an older woman's hand a little too close for comfort," Mark said shortly as he slipped his glasses back on.

Mimi frowned, as se sat down on the bed next to him. "Why did you just take them though? There had to be some reason…" she said.

He handed her the piece of paper. "I found this in my backpack today. After I read it, I couldn't stand. I just wanted to get away from it all. But I knew that natural sleep wouldn't come," he said shrugging.

She held the piece of paper in her hands. "You had no idea how scared I was when I walked into your room, seeing you like that. I thought you- I thought- " she stopped, realizing that she wouldn't be able to show him hers now.

He placed his hand on her shoulder. Lowering his voice, he replied, "I could never do that to you. I would never."

She smiled at the thought before opening the paper. She read it, before reading it once more. When she was done, she folded it up. She handed it back to him.

"I see what you mean," she whispered. Mark nodded.

"I feel overwhelmed. I guess – I guess what it is, is that I'm still getting over Roger, and I still haven't realized that you're here…with me,"

Mimi was sick of all this. She wanted it all to stop. She knew that she was upset. She knew Mark was extremely distraught and she hated seeing him liked this. She knew that she needed to get their minds off of this.

"Mark, uh, don't you have a promise to uphold to me? I mean, you don't have to if you want to, but I was kind of looking forward to it," Mimi stated.

Mark looked confused for a second, before realizing what she was talking about. A smile grew on his face. "Oh. You mean that."

She nodded bashfully. "Yeah. I could use that right about now. How about you?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"I couldn't say no," he stated before he stood up, ready to get slammed.

* * *

**okay. how was it? yes, marky is still alive… i couldn't kill off my favorite character. :) anyway, i want to know what you think. i'm hoping next chapter we can get some major mimi/mark action, but i'm not totally sure. just roll with me here…and please tell me what you thought.**


	9. Contact

"And remember the time you and I jumped on the counter and started singing about the Wizard of Oz?" Mimi laughed as she began to hiccup.

Mark started to laugh hysterically. As he did, he spilled vodka all over his shirt, causing him to laugh even more. "Mimi, did you see?" More laughter.

After the laughs slowly began to die, Mimi laid her head onto Mark's chest. "That was one amazing night," she said softly, taking a swig out of her wine bottle.

"Definitely. Look where we are now…" Mark trailed off, remorse evident in his voice.

Once they had sat in silence for a few minutes, Mark got up off the lumpy couch they were sitting on. "You want anything?" he stuttered with a slight slur in his voice.

Mimi raised her bottle triumphantly. "I'm all set!" she called.

Mark began to laugh against. He stood there for a moment before he began to stumble around the room. He caught himself before he tripped over his feet multiple times. All of which he giggled at.

When he returned to the couch with the vodka bottle, Mimi was staring out the large window where Roger used to sit and think.

"What is it?" Mark murmured, tripping over his words slightly.

"It makes you think about where we really are in this world. It's-it's so beautiful. …" The skyline, although not the best part of New York City, it was beautifully lit under the starry clear sky.

"It certainly is," Mark replied. But unknown to Mimi, Mark's eyes were not on the skyline.

He dropped his eyes as Mimi turned to him. Instead, he focused on drinking as much as he possibly could.

He knew he was smashed; probably more than he had ever been, but he didn't care. He felt numb when he was drunk. He couldn't focus on Roger, let alone focus at all.

Mimi, on the other hand, didn't like being drunk. When she was drunk, it was another thing she could lose control of. She wasn't nearly as drunk as Mark, but she felt slightly off. She couldn't stop herself from drinking more. All she wanted was to get Roger off of her mind, and if the only way to do it was to get completely sloshed, it was fine with her.

Mark sat, thinking of Mimi. He knew he wasn't in his right mind, but he felt as if he no control over anything, especially his hormones.

"Mimi?"

"Yeah Mark?"

"Erm, how are you?" he stumbled, suddenly losing focus over everything he was about to say.

She smiled at his boyish awkwardness.. "I'm hanging in there. How are you?" she answered as she turned towards him.

His eyes were focus at the ground, rolling the bottle in his hands. He gave a bitter laugh that sent chill up Mimi's spine, making her shudder. "I've been better."

Mimi's smile disappeared. "Mark, of course you've been better. We've both been better. You're drunk as hell, you just lost your best friend; of course you're going to feel distra-"

She cut off by Mark's lips meeting her. She was so shocked by what had just happened that she didn't pull away immediately. Instead, she began to reciprocate.

When she realized exactly what she was doing, she pulled back. "Mark, uh, I don't think that this is the best idea. I, uh, think we, uh, need to stop."

But as soon as she saw his crestfallen look and felt the exhilaration that had just been passing through her body die, she started to doubt herself if they should actually stop.

Peering into Mark's crystal blue eyes, the life that had always been in there was gone. All she saw empty nothingness.

'Fuck it', she thought to herself. They both needed this.

She grabbed Mark's face in both of her hands and smashed her lips against his. She couldn't stop herself. He couldn't stop himself. They were unstoppable.

Mark began to kiss her neck. Mimi tipped her head back and closed her eyes in ecstasy.

Mark began to move onto her bare shoulder and to the top of her chest. He felt as if this was an out of body experience. Moving closer to her, he made his way back up to her mouth. His tongue flicked into her mouth.

With a quick movement of her legs, they were wrapped around his torso. Her arms stretched above both of their head and wrapped around Mark's neck, pulling him closer to her. He ran his fingers through her wavy hair, undoing her lose ponytail.

She arched her back, pressing her hips into his. He trailed his lips all over her neck and shoulder as she let out a small moan.

Wrapping his arms around her, he got up off the couch, her body connected to his.

As he made his way to his bedroom, the rational part of his mind began to say "Are you sure?", "Do you really want this? "Is this what both of you want to do?", etc. The part of his mind that was in control now slowly drowned out the rest: "I love her, and we need this."

He laid her down on his bed as he straddled her body. Parting their lips for a moment, he asked her, "Are you sure?", finally taking into account that they were both drunk.

Breathless, she responded, "Hell yes."

Their fates were sealed then. There was no chance of stopping either on of them. Clothes began to be thrown around the room in heaps.

Mark kissed every inch of her body, as if he was searching for something. He reached her lips once more, kissing them as if he was trying to bruise them.

She couldn't believe what was happening. Who it was, what else was going on: none of it mattered to her. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it was wrong. The more she knew it was wrong, the more she felt she needed it..

And it was then, in a small apartment in Alphabet City, with the moon shining brightly down on them, two constantly tortured souls became one.

* * *

Mimi woke up, but wouldn't open her eyes due to the constant awful pounding in her head. Another reason why she hated to drink too much; hangovers. 

Slowly she opened her eyes. Looking out the window, it took a few moments to realize that this wasn't her apartment. Looking at the bed, she figured out that this wasn't her apartment.

As she felt dread in her stomach, she looked to her left. There stood a nightstand with a pair of black rimmed glasses.

On her right was the owner of the glasses. As she looked at Mark's sleeping form, last night's events came back to her in a sudden rush.

As a last resort before crashing into despondency, she lifted the thin sheet that covered the two of them. She closed her eyes in despair before looking, praying for something she knew wasn't there.

"Fuck."

* * *

**okay, so that was the lemoniest chapter i've ever written. it was a little awkward, but i think it went pretty smoothly. since it is my first citrus chapter, please don't rip me apart, although I don't think anyone would. please review!!!**


	10. Take Me or Leave Me

**_(meek wave)_ hi. How are you guys? Me, totally not update this story for 6 months? Um…yeah, about that…I'M SO SORRRY. I feel so bad, because I hate it when authors do that to me. It's like you get to the absolute climax of the story, and the author just leaves you hanging…**

**But I am back!!**

* * *

_**Two Months Later**_

Mimi Marquez sat in her small apartment, fingering a carton of cigarettes. She hadn't smoked any since Roger died, but she could really go for one right about now. The sweetly bitter taste of smoke in her mouth, the acrid smell of tobacco in the nose.

She groaned, disgusted with how pathetic she had become. She chucked the carton across the room in anger. Rubbing her temples, she felt like screaming. God, how could he have done this to her just like that, and she had no control?

Pursing her lips, she laid backwards onto her couch. She had never felt like this. So alone, so forgotten, so abandoned. That feeling in the pit of your stomach that fills your whole body with dread. That feeling that makes you want to burst into tears at any second.

The part that made her feel sick, though, was that is wasn't Roger's death that made her feel this way.

It was the night she slept with Mark.

As soon as she had woken up, she slipped out of bed and grabbed her clothes in a desperate attempt not to wake Mark. She couldn't face him. She didn't want to be the one to ask him if he'd used protection…

Running through the apartment, clothes practically falling off, she found her face streaked with tears. She hated herself for doing this. Mark was already a fragile person, and she was leaving him like this? He'd wake up, hung over and wondering what the hell had gone on yesterday. He'd remember about Roger first, and then about what he and Mimi did. But Mimi didn't care. She felt ashamed of herself, and ran out of their apartment.

Now, two months later, she hadn't spoken to Mark since then. She hadn't called him or visited the apartment. She hadn't seen him.

He had tried on numerous occasions to contact her, but she couldn't confront him. Confronting him about what had happened that night meant confronting all she hated about herself, and it was just too much right now.

She started to feel sick with dismay, so she sat up. Running a hand through her hair, she felt like laughing at herself. The 'old Mimi' would've snickered at this pitiful pathetic girl who tried to tip-toe around every single persons emotions. Old Mimi would've sucked it up, went and knocked on Mark's door, and talked to him until she was blue in the face.

She bit her lip as the pain her stomach began to grow. She wasn't that upset, was she? As she felt bile rise in the back of her throat, she found herself running to her bathroom.

After emptying her stomach into the toilet, she rinsed her mouth out with water. Still not feeling so hot, she leaned back against her porcelain tub, comforted by its cool feeling.

What was happening to her? She felt so depressed. She couldn't talk to the one man in the world she had left, she hated who she was, she was always sick-

_'Wait, back up on that last one,'_ Mimi thought as she sat up against the tub. She had been sick a lot in the past few weeks. She had been blaming it on a stomach virus or on her nerves, but that seemed to be too coincidental.

_'I'm sick…I'm sick…I'm sick?'_ Mimi thought, trying to think of other reasons that could possibly be that factors of it.

Her eyes widened as a light bulb sparked in her mind.

'_I'm sick. I had sex. I don't remember if we used protection…'_ she thought to herself.

After putting two and two together, Mimi jumped up from her bathroom floor, suddenly feeling like she was going to be sick again. "FUCK!"

Three hours later, 28, and 4 pregnancy tests later, Mimi sat on the edge of her tub, shaking her head.

"How the fuck did this happen?" she whispered to herself. "Roger, why did you have to leave me? You could have stayed, and everything would've been fine. We'd be happily in love. You the rock star, me the stripper. The perfect Christmas card family. Now you're gone, I'm pregnant with your best friends baby, I probably gave him HIV, and – and I think that I'm in love with him."

* * *

Mark sat at his table poking the food in his TV dinner unappetizingly when he heard a knock at the door.

He lifted his head in a bit of confusion. Who the hell would want to see him?

He walked to the door. Looking through the peephole, he felt his heart stop. It was her. What was she doing here?

Pulling the door open, he was trying to figure out if his heart was still beating. After all this time, why was she here? She left him that day, so why come back today?

"Mimi," he whispered, still in a bit of a shock.

He gave a small smile to him, wondering what the hell had brought her down here, wondering if it was too late to make a bolt for the staircase.

"Hi Mark…Listen, are you – uh – busy? Right now?" she asked nervously, her eye contact jumping all over the place.

Mark picked up on this immediately. Sensing something, he shook his head. "No, I'm not doing anything. Come on in."

Mimi walked behind Mark to the couch. The all too-familiar couch where she and Roger used to lay after long nights of work, just with their arms wrapped around each other talking.

She placed a hand on it as if she was taking it in, before she sat down. She wanted Roger, to be that hand on her heart to guide her. She needed him now more than ever.

"Mimi, you wanted to talk to me?" Mark said, pulling her out of her reminiscing. He had a confused yet worried look on his face.

Mimi bit her tongue. It was now or never.

"Mark, that night…"she started.

"Look," he interrupted. "I can tell from the repercussions that it's something you don't want to move ahead with. That's fine. It was a drunken mistake that we both happened to have on the night of our best friend or boyfriend's death. It's over and done with."

Mimi dropped her head. God, why did he have to be so understanding? He spoke softly to her, telling it was going to be okay, yet she was the monster here!! She was the awful one!! Tears started to slip out of her eyes.

"That's the thing Mark. I can't forget about it. I just can't," she cried as her shoulders began to heave.

His face contorted. She seemed so vulnerable. "Meems, what's going on?"

She looked up at him with red watery eyes. There were two things she needed to tell him. Good news or bad news first?

"Because I think I'm in love with you."

Mark stopped, frozen. Those eight words were the ones he least expected to come out of her mouth.

"What did you just say?"

Mimi took a deep breath. Shakily, she replied, "I said because I think I'm in love with you, Mark. I can't forget about that. The reason I left was because I was embarrassed of myself. I felt ashamed that I hade made love to my dead boyfriend's best friend on the night of his death, and enjoyed it so much."

Mark grabbed her hand, enclosing it in his. "Why couldn't you just tell me that? I would've understood."

She shrugged. "I thought I needed to figure this out on my own."

Mark chuckled, "Mimi, the stubborn-ist person I've ever met." After a few moment, his expression became more serious. "I – I want you to know that truly care about you. I feel something that I've never felt in my life. It's powerful and magnetic; I just hope that you understand that."

Mimi heart pounded so hard against her chest she thought it would come out. Jumping up from the couch, she began pulling at her hair. How could he be so kind and compassionate? How could he still be so loving after all of this? Did he even realize?

"I can't do it anymore. I just can't!" she exclaimed, turning towards Mark.

He raised an eyebrow. "Okay…"

"That night, you were pretty sloshed, right?" Mimi asked, beginning to wring her hands. Here it comes.

Mark laughed bitterly. "'Pretty sloshed' doesn't even begin it."

Mimi groaned. "That's what I was afraid of." All hopes of the two percent times that condoms didn't work flew out the windows. There was no condom, she figured out.

"Okay, so we were both drunk. Is there any, any, any possible chance that you used a condom?" Mimi pleaded with him, clasping her hands together.

Mark's eyes became wide, all of the sudden feeling extremely stupid. How could he possibly do that?

"From your lack of response, I'm going to take that as a no," she muttered, looking out the window.

Mark just stared back her, amazed that he hadn't thought of this in the past two months. This meant so much. How could he possibly have done something this stupid.

"Mark, I'm pregnant."

He laid back against the couch, hearing what he had expected come out of her mouth. He was speechless. Mimi. Pregnant. With his child.

Mimi stood there, somewhat stunned at how he was taking it. Most possible HIV victims weren't this calm.

"Mark, you okay?" she asked, returning to her position on the couch.

"I just can't believe you're pregnant."

She looked at him strangely. "But what about you? Aren't you at all-upset, or angry about this?"

He shrugged. "Well, it's kind of unexpected."

Mimi placed her eyes into hands. Mark still could put it all together. She was going to have to tell him, exactly what she didn't want to do.

"So nothing about this news makes you feel shocked or sad, maybe angry or regretful?" Mimi prodded.

Mark shook his head. "I still don't know what you're getting at. I'm fine with the pregnancy Mimi. I would love to have a child."

"I love you Mark. Everything about you. The thing I'm trying to tell you is really hard. Something I had sworn to myself I'd never do," Mimi began, grabbing Marks' hands in one of hers, stroking his cheek with the other.

"Mark, what you haven't realized is that the night we had sex, you had unprotected sex with a person with AIDS, a virus spread through bodily fluids…" Mimi trailed off.

Mark's eyes became big. His mouth started to move, but no words came out. He pulled his hands out of Mimi's and slowly got to his feet.

"Mark, I-I can't even begin…" Mimi began.

Running a hand through his hair, he felt numb. Everything was moving around him so fast, or he was just moving so slow. Mimi was talking to him, but he couldn't hear her. All he could hear was a blood thrumming through his eardrums. Looking out the large window that showed the skyline. He frowned. His head pounding while the room was spinning. He took a step towards it, but never got there as the floor rose to meet him and everything became black.

* * *

**Loved it. :)**


End file.
